Using a new technique in which models of primitive cells are constructed from the bottom up, Penn State scientists have demonstrated that the structure of a cell's membrane and cytoplasm may be as important to cell division as the specialized machinery -- such as enzymes, DNA or RNA -- that are found within living cells. The study, which will be published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, may provide important clues to how life originated from nonlife and how modern cells came to exhibit complex behaviors. (more)
Obesity appears to impair normal muscle function in rats, an observation that could have significant implications for humans, according to Penn State researchers. (more)
For the first time, scientists have been able to paint a detailed chemical picture of how a particular strain of bacteria has evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. The research is a key step toward designing compounds to prevent infections by recently evolved, drug-resistant "superbugs" that often are found in hospitals, as well as in the general population. The research team that made this discovery, which is published in the journal Science, is led by Squire Booker, an associate professor in the department of chemistry and the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. (more)
A team of scientists led by Melissa Rolls, an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University, has peered inside neurons to discover an unexpected process that is required for regeneration after severe neuron injury. The process was discovered during Rolls's studies aimed at deciphering the inner workings of dendrites -- the part of the neuron that receives information from other cells and from the outside world. The research will be published in the print edition of the scientific journal Current Biology on Dec. 21. (more)
New research, which reveals the activity of nerve cells in a songbird's brain as the bird sings a specific song, is helping scientists to understand how birds string together sets of syllables -- and it also may provide insight into how the human brain learns language and produces speech. "Unlike dogs and cats, whose vocalizations are innate and unlearned, songbirds learn a song in much the same way as humans learn a language," said Dezhe Jin at Penn State. (more)
Barbara Houtz, director of outreach at Penn State's Eberly College of Science and an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, recently joined more than 80 current and former fellows for a 20th anniversary summit, sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Houtz is one of only two Einstein Fellows from Pennsylvania. (more)
A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences reproductive physiologist. Research involved manipulating a protein called STAT3, which is active in tissues throughout the body and is essential for life, that signals stem cells to decide whether to differentiate into a specialized type of cell or self-renew and remain stem cells. (more)
Pistachio nuts, eaten as part of a healthy diet, can increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol, according to an international team of nutritional scientists. "Our previous study showed the benefits of pistachios in lowering lipids and lipoproteins, which are a risk factor for heart disease," said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition, Penn State. "This new study shows an additional effect of pistachios so now there are multiple health benefits of eating pistachios." (more)
New Penn State research about human development and human genetic diseases reveals that jumping elements, some of which cause genetic diseases, become incorporated in the genome at different stages of human development. The density of transposable (jumping) elements between sex chromosomes in primates may have important consequences for the studies of human genetic diseases, say researchers Erika Kvikstad, a 2009 Penn State doctoral graduate in genetics, and Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology. (more)
Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity -- a major health issue. "This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. (more)
